Hamilton launches interactive tool to show road conditions across city
Published October 2, 2020 at 8:17 pm
The City of Hamilton recently launched an interactive map that shows the condition of the city’s roads.
The City of Hamilton recently launched an interactive map that shows the condition of the city’s roads.
Hamilton’s Road Condition street index site shows the real-time condition of the pavement of streets. It is the culmination of pavement study carried out throughout the city in 2019.
According to the data, streets in Hamilton’s Ward 1 (Chedoke-Cootes area, below the escarpment in the West end) and Ward 2 (city’s downtown area) are among the worst and require significant upgrades.
Ward 1 (Glanbrook) roads appear to be in the best of shape.
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So how is a road’s condition determined?
Those who carried out the study looked at the visual condition of the road (ie: cracks, potholes etc) and used sensors to determine what it feels like to ride/drive on the surface.
These considerations, known as the Surface Condition Index (SCI) and the Ride Index, respectively, are then factored into determining the Overall Condition Index (OCI) which is then used to determine when roads need to be reconstructed or rehabilitated.
Roads with an OCI above 70 are considered to require maintenance – this could include sealing cracks or repairing minor issues.
Roads with an OCI between 55 and 70 are considered to require minor rehabilitation – this could include repairing more significant potholes, minor resurfacing or ‘shave and pave.’
Roads with an OCI between 40 and 55 are considered to require major rehabilitation – this could include more significant asphalt where the road is reduced to a granular or concrete base.
Roads with an OCI below 40 are considered to require reconstruction – this would be a total road replacement, likely to include sidewalks and curbs, etc.
The city’s average Overall Condition Index is 63 per cent.
Alongside the interactive map, the City provides links to resources on planned road construction projects and improvements.
How are the roads in your neighbourhood?
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